How Applying Early for College Affects Financial Aid

Early decision applicants may enjoy improved odds of being accepted at their dream school, but that could come at the price of receiving less in college aid, experts say. Among schools with early decision policies, the average overall admissions rate was almost 48 percent in fall 2016 — that’s more than a 10 percentage point difference compared with early decision admissions. Under early decision, students commit to a first-choice college and, if admitted, agree to enroll and withdraw their other college applications.